A Dutch scientists has, in the laboratory, created the most expensive burger of the world from bovine stem cells. He now wants to revolutionize food production with this test-tube meat.

On Monday, August 5, 2013 in a world premiere, so to speak, the Dutch professor fried, or better put he had a top chef do the frying, the first burger created in a Petri dish in London and served it live to members of the audience at the event. In fact only two people were permitted to actually taste it and one commented afterward that it had a flavor like animal protein cake and was nothing special. Well, and that at around 300,000 Euro (about the same in US Dollars) this definitely is not impressive.

The meat for this burger has been “raised” by Professor Mark Post and his research team in a laboratory at the University of Maastricht from bovine stem cells. The projects, which lasted for two years and which is rumored to have cost 300,000 Euro, has been financed by a donor who is part of the Internet industry.

The stem cells from this this “meat” was grown in the laboratory were taken from a dead cow and they will still need animals from which to extract the stem cells, dead or alive and to me this entire exercise is a waste of resources, if not money, for the donor can do with his money as he wishes.

According to a journalist who was allowed to visit the laboratory at the University of Maastricht the meat that has grown there in the Petri dish was all white, the muscle tissue as much as the fat tissue, and totally tasteless. It required flavorings, though natural ones, to be added to get anywhere close to meat in taste and also beetroot juice as a dye to make it red in color so it looks somewhat like beef.

The entire burger at the cost of 300,000 Euro was just a 5oz round cake of something resembling beef, more like a cake, as another person said, and somewhat like a McDonald's Hamburger (you mean like pink slime?), and those people really believe that they can solve the world's food problems with this. One can but wonder in which parallel universe those scientists exist (and others who also believe in this).

It would be much better to invest any such research and monies – though, as said, any donor is free to do with his or her money as he or she pleases – into bringing back proper agricultural practices. And, yes, I did say “bringing back” proper agricultural practices.

Meat, and I would not have believed I would ever say this, is not the way forward, especially not the way it is being produced today and definitely not gown in a laboratory from stem cells.